M-1 Bashes Don Frye, Talks Up Mark Kerr in New Press Release
by Scott Haber on Aug 10, 2009 1:34 PM EDT
61 comments
The M-1 Global soap opera just never ends. The promotion has issued a new press release concerning their "Breakthrough" event, now scheduled for August 28th in Kansas City with a main event of King Mo Lawal vs. Mark Kerr. Cage Potato has some excerpts, and they're truly astounding:
"Don Frye had a signed contract with M-1 and part of that signed commitment allowed us to change the venue if needed," said [M-1 COO Joost] Raimond. "From our perspective, Don should still be in this fight. However, for reasons that we aren't exactly sure of, he has backed out. Don still has not provided us with a clear reason as to why he is refusing to fight."We've heard rumors that he wasn't happy with the location change but our television partner, Mo Lawal, and every other fighter scheduled for the event are satisfied with Kansas City so why isn't it good enough for Don? Don also fought just a few short months ago in Lubbock, Texas. It just doesn't make sense because the old Don Frye was willing to fight anyone, anywhere, and at anytime. Perhaps the fire is gone and he underestimated the challenge that 'King Mo' presents?"
As if the completely unprofessional lambasting, and flat-out taunting of Frye wasn't bad enough, Raimond then goes on to claim that Mark Kerr will be a more challenging opponent for Lawal and could become a "hot commodity" if he wins:
"Kerr at one time was one of the best fighters on the planet," M-1 Global Vice President of Live Events Joe Kelly said. "His fall from grace was documented publicly on the popular HBO documentary "The Smashing Machine." A lot of people have written Mark Kerr off but if he's able to beat Lawal on national television, suddenly he becomes a hot commodity again. Mark was already in training for a fight when we contacted him and I'm not exactly sure how hard Don was training. This will actually be a tougher fight for Lawal."
This kind of stuff is just mind-blowing, but it seemss it's now to be expected of M-1.
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So much for the theory that they won’t sign with Dana because Dana talks too much shit.
by Phildo on Aug 10, 2009 1:38 PM EDT reply actions 7 recs
For all those who say the problem signing Fedor was that Dana is a big meanie with a poopie mouth, perhaps this will be a wake up call. It’s fight promotion, this is how it works. Frye ditched and so M-1 bashed him for it, welcome to the world of MMA.
by who me on Aug 10, 2009 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I may have missed it, but I don’t think they said something like ""Frye Is a F***ing Joke" or “Frye is ****”
by David_ on Aug 10, 2009 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes they didn’t use the dirty language but they directly attacked his character there numerous times (even though they don’t even know why he dropped out). Just because they they worded it differently than White would of doesn’t mean it’s any less of a hit job on the guy.
by who me on Aug 11, 2009 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It should also be noted that was in a press release not an interview. There is real difference between a official press release from a company and some reporter asking Dana White questions on a radio show. I don’t remember ever seeing the UFC do a press release to slam Fedor.
by who me on Aug 11, 2009 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
mmm, the press release is about the KC event.
I´m sorry, I just don´t see any point in trying to compare the two situations, nor do I see any similarities, other than a promotion having a problem with a fighter.
by David_ on Aug 11, 2009 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you don’t see it even after it has been pointed out by web sites and even posters here who directly quoted the bashes on Frye then I don’t know what to tell you.
by who me on Aug 11, 2009 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
M-1 is an organization of professional hypocrites.
by AboveThisFire on Aug 10, 2009 1:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Perhaps the fire is gone
I’m not exactly sure how hard Don was training.
by Stanlee on Aug 10, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
And:
every other fighter scheduled for the event are satisfied with Kansas City so why isn’t it good enough for Don?
It just doesn’t make sense because the old Don Frye was willing to fight anyone, anywhere, and at anytime.
by Scott Haber on Aug 10, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Just when you think a promotion that forgets to apply for a promoters license cannot be any less professional…
by Stanlee on Aug 10, 2009 1:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
These guys should get their own show on Comedy Central.
www.knees2thehead.com
Check it out!!
by BJJDenver on Aug 10, 2009 2:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
always a good idea to do a press release containing the words “we’ve heard rumors”
by woooburn on Aug 10, 2009 2:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That was what jumped out to me...
rumors? You’re sending out press releases stating that you’ve heard rumors?
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 10, 2009 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
it’s basically admitting they haven’t actually talked to a fighter they have under contract about his issues with the show. You would think that someone with M-1 would of given him a call and asked what was up before they bashed him and found a replacement but then you would think that someone with M-1 would of thought to actually get a promoter’s license in the last year or so or to perhaps nail down at least the time zone a event will take place in more than a couple of weeks in advance of the event.
by who me on Aug 10, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good thinking Strikeforce..
for associating yourselves with these scumbags. I could have sworn I heard Scott Coker was a smart guy.
by Razzel on Aug 10, 2009 4:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
LOL...
At being on “national TV”…
HDNet subscriptions runs less than 50K subscribers …
by MMAuthority on Aug 10, 2009 4:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
where do you get that 50k subscribers number? I remembered reading something and dug up the link from a few months ago:
HDNet is available in over 90 million homes, but only has approximately 14 million subscribers.
by Stanlee on Aug 10, 2009 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's on DirecTV's choice package
Pretty much everyone gets it…
by pl4tinum on Aug 11, 2009 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fedor is right
M1 treats the fighters so much better!
by VegasBatman on Aug 10, 2009 4:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
What kind of world are we living in where a professional mixed martial arts association calls out Don Frye for not having the fire anymore and then replaces him with Mark fucking Kerr?
by George Lucas on Aug 10, 2009 5:42 PM EDT reply actions 7 recs
This comment is full of win.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Aug 10, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
this... also.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Aug 10, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
mark kerr picture?
when was that picture taken. Looks like the guy who ate mark kerr.
When you eat a candy bar or have a wonderful dessert, have a diet drink. The calories are cancelled out by the diet drink.
by james b on Aug 10, 2009 5:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
M-1 is so big they are counter programming UFC 102…
by mmalogic on Aug 10, 2009 6:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Well
You sign a contract, make a deal, and are expected to stick to it. Like a primadonna, Frye decided to just blow off his fight obligation because he ’didn’t like the area,’ even though every other fighter on the card was flexible.
The vast majority of the comments on here are basically swayed by some sort of ridiculous, uninformed hatred/ dislike of M-1. I’m not an M-1 fanboy by any means, but come on people- there is always 2 sides to the story, and the truth generally lies inbetween.
It goes to show how biased towards the UFC many MMA fans are.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Aug 10, 2009 7:07 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
i’m not saying what Frye did was right, but it’s funny to have them come out with this statement after whining about how mean old Dana talks about Fedor.
I read somewhere else that he was upset that it was moved to a place with no AC to guarantee that he would get paid, but MO has a commission.
Either way, this is a crappy situation, but I’ll call out M1 when they act like assholes after complaining about how Dana treats people
by Phildo on Aug 10, 2009 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
There are always 2 sides to every story, and so far all we have is M-1’s and it’s a pretty shitty side. Incompetence about the promoters license aside, how abysmal would ticket sales have to be to just scrap the entire venue and restart selling tickets elsewhere a few weeks before the fight?
by Stanlee on Aug 10, 2009 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It doesn’t matter how many tickets you’ve sold if you don’t have a license to put on the show.
by Phildo on Aug 10, 2009 7:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
there was talk they could do a co-promotion with someone else and just hide behind their license. Maybe it was too late in the game to do that though. Somebody like Wargods would love to have their name spread out there without any real effort on their part.
by Stanlee on Aug 10, 2009 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Those are the kinds of things you should cover more than a couple of weeks out from your show (other things you should try and cover are the location and actually talking to the fighters you have under contract).
by who me on Aug 10, 2009 7:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
M-1 has always had someone else provide the license in the US.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 10, 2009 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Which really should make people wonder just what are they paying Jerry Millen to do? It should also make people wonder why they didn’t get right on finding an new partner or getting a license when Affliction folded back in July?
by who me on Aug 10, 2009 8:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am fairly certain applying for a license involves background checks, I know fingerprints are required.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 10, 2009 9:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How do you know that Frye decided to blow off his obligation because of the area? Even M-1 doesn’t know what’s up, apparently no one there can pick up a phone and give him a call to find out (and yes apparently Frye isn’t tracking them down either). There are two sides to every story but lets just ignore the sides and go with the facts we know as facts.
Fact: M-1 not only doesn’t have a promoter’s license they never contacted CSAC about getting one to do the event they have planned. Fact: Two weeks out of the show they move it 1600 miles away to another part of the country (after they also tried Las Vegas but failed to contact NSAC about getting a license or putting on a show). Fact: For some reason Frye dropped out of the fight after all the moving it around the country hyjinks but instead of contacting him to find out what is going on they release a press release bashing Frye and sighting rumors about what is going on with a fight on their own show. Fact: Mark Kerr? Seriously, are they trying to hype Mark Kerr as a hot commodity? Honestly at this point who cares what the two sides of the story are even the M-1 side of it should have people scratching their heads here.
by who me on Aug 10, 2009 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
there is always 2 sides to the story, and the truth generally lies inbetween.
Only one of the sides has Gary Millen however.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 10, 2009 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm sure that Frye
heard all the BS in the media this week and that contributed to it?
by pl4tinum on Aug 11, 2009 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You stay classy
M-1.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 10, 2009 8:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Welcome back from the banlands.
Keep firing Assholes!
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.
by Ubernoober on Aug 11, 2009 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks, it is a cold lonely place out there, full of trolls and other such life forms.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 11, 2009 2:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think if Mark wins they will give him a shot at Fedor.
by TLAoutlaw on Aug 10, 2009 8:42 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Sadly, I was thinking the same thing
"Japan is half-Machida" - iiowyn
by Day Man on Aug 11, 2009 2:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hell, they probably will if he loses too.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 11, 2009 2:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I thought it was pretty weak of Frye to go on about the pussification of men on Inside MMA, only to pull out of the fight he was talking up the whole show because of a change of venue.
by brad23 on Aug 10, 2009 9:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Don Frye is currently the only thing standing between us and total annihilation.
Cut the man some slack.
I specializes in grammar fail.
by a tommy point on Aug 10, 2009 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Was it because of a change of venue? We don’t know, hell even M-1 doesn’t know because they haven’t actually asked him what the problem was. The change of venue was just the rumor that was floating around, for all we know Frye’s mustache told him not to go to Kansas City.
by who me on Aug 10, 2009 9:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If his moustache told him not to go to KC...
… then it would still be because of the change of venue, wouldn’t it?
by David_ on Aug 10, 2009 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You will live a lot longer if you don’t question the wisdom of the ’stache (oh and Don Frye is crazy, who knows why he does anything?)
by who me on Aug 10, 2009 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The ref?? wtf
Wtf is the ref doing in that fight?!?!?! Clapping his hands saying “come on!”.. Shaking his head at one point when the fighters are in the corner.
I loved that fight but noticing the ref this time it struck me that they must have had a deal how they should have fought.
by Pontus on Aug 11, 2009 4:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don just found out that M-1 was run by Russians!!!
Keep firing Assholes!
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.
by Ubernoober on Aug 11, 2009 12:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
he found some grey hair in his mustache, so he cannot fight.
its just that simple.
by plush on Aug 11, 2009 7:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
?
Everything about this fight is way out of whack. King Mo would destroy either of them. Mo would be better against someone like Lashley. Let Kerr and Frye fight, that might be interesting.
by Crucifix on Aug 11, 2009 8:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
What is the deal? If M-1 was really interested in spreading MMA throughout the world why would they move a fight to an unsanctioned state? Amateurs.
by Reciprocity on Aug 11, 2009 9:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Try reading the article.
MMA is sanctioned in Missouri, and M-1 VP Joe Kelly has a promoter’s license in Missouri. They didn’t run to an unsanctioned state, they ran to a state where they had a promoter’s license.
by Steve4192 on Aug 11, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
these are the guys who opted out of vegas when they noted the paperwork requiring fingerprints, business/investor source information etc to apply for a license…besides, Don Frye is the MAN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huuhRcnDUUk&feature=channel
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei.
http://theworldsoldestsport.blogspot.com/
by theworldsoldestsport on Aug 11, 2009 10:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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